Shooting is a basic skill in basketball but is much harder than you think.

The first thing newbs to basketball want to do is be able to shoot and make shots.

They see Steph Curry and Kevin Durant easily do it and think they can shoot like these legends as well.

But looking easy and it actually being easy are two different things.

This is the realization I had when I first started playing basketball.

I thought shooting would be simple and didn’t put much thought into my form. I mean, I’m just trying to get a ball inside a hoop. So, I also didn’t work on improving my shot either.

This resulted in me shooting with bad form (pushed it from my chest) and all of my shots were archless.

They were constantly clanking off of the rim or backboard and, needless to say, I missed a lot of them.

It took me a couple of years to learn the right way to shoot and to correct my ugly form.

Now, I’m a decent shooter. Instead of missing 9 out 10 shots, I miss 7 out of 10.

But jokes aside, shooting when you don’t know how to shoot is complex. There are a lot of steps that go into shooting a basketball that beginners neglect, such as shooting with their wrist and using power from their legs.

Buy The Old Man Game Activity Guide Here.

How To Shoot A Basketball

So, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to shoot a basketball:

1. Get into your shooting stance (dominant foot slightly in front of the other foot, knees and torso slightly bent forward and holding the ball in the shot pocket or in front of the area in between the stomach and lower chest. Adjust stance until it is comfortable).
2. Now, rise up and shoot the ball. Remember to use power from your legs, tuck your elbows into your ribs, use one uniform motion as you shoot and follow through with your wrist, which is pointed at your target.
3. Also, make sure your guide hand is just a guide. Don’t let it put pressure on the ball because it will affect your shot. Make sure it only grazes the ball (or gently touches it).
4. Pay attention to your shot and notice which shots go in and which don’t. Adjust your form and power accordingly.

Why Learning How to Shoot Properly is Important

Shooting is a fundamental skill in basketball -you need to be able to do it to score.

And you need to score to win games.

It’s also very satisfying to sink a bunch of shots in a row as you shoot around at the park on a stressful day.

So, that’s why it’s important.

However, shooting is only one skill of basketball. You also have to be able to dribble, layup and defend.

Thus, you should also learn how to do these other fundamental skills if you want to be a complete player.

To do so, here’s a resource you can use: my basketball activity guides.

They called The Old Man Game Activity Guides and they’re guides for beginner players.

You can click here to learn more about them.

Final Thoughts

Basketball is a fun sport. But it can also be frustrating when you can’t make a single shot.

That’s why you need to learn the proper shooting form and practice it.

So, what are you waiting for? Go practice!